According to prosecutor Karl-Erik Esbo, the men have been employed at two different restaurants in Gothenburg and carried out assaults on guests on at least 17 occasions between 2008 and 2010.

One of the men, a 29-year-old, has parallel to his employment as a door guard, worked as a civilian with the Gothenburg police.

A total of eight door guards were taken in for questioning on Tuesday, with two of them released after interviews. A further two have been detained for further questioning.

According to the prosecutor all of the assaults have been carried out in a similar fashion.

“They have, with a certain regularity, carried out assaults involving punches, kicks and batons. In several cases the assaults have occurred in the restaurant’s cellar,” said Karl-Erik Esbo.

The last time an assault occurred, in the spring, the police also became involved. Since then the police have been working on the investigation, but it was not until Tuesday that investigators had uncovered enough information to proceed.

“A fair amount of preparation is required to be able to carry out this type of swoop,” Esbo explained.

None of the suspects are previously known to the police for any criminal offence.

The prosecutor argued that the actions of the bouncers were reprehensible.

“It is awful when people are given the responsibility to manage security and procedure has crossed the line for what is permitted,” said Karl-Erik Esbo.